One of the highlights of the trip so far was a couple weekends ago, when myself and 4 other WPI students were invited to spend the weekend with the family of one of our Moroccan friends. He lives in Fez with a brother, sister, parents, and maid who all immediately made us feel right at home. I know I go on and on about Moroccan hospitality and how wonderful it is... nothing has really compared to the experience we had that weekend! Even though there were some delays in our arriving and we didn't get to their home until past 10:30pm, there was a hot dinner waiting to be served to us as soon as we arrived. (There was also amazing breakfasts each morning and one of the best couscous dinners that we've had yet the following day!) Every effort was made for us to be as comfortable as possible, and the Zakhnini family once again reminded me of the importance of making someone feel welcome. Even though we couldn't say too much to each other (Othman, our friend from AUI who hosted us, is the only one in his family that speaks English) there was a connection made that has left an impression on me and I don't think I will ever forget.
This past weekend, we took a seven hour bus ride through winding, bumpy mountain roads until we arrived in our weekend destination--Marrakech. This is the "trendy" Moroccan city that would probably be the visual picture that comes to mind when one would picture this country. Stereotypical images have been played up to attract tourists in Marrakech, so not everything you see is necessarily authentic... but walking through a square full of snake charmers and performing monkeys, with the sounds of traditional music and the calls of shopkeepers selling souvenirs, a mosque looking over the scene... It's hard to experience this and remember that you're still in real life. It all feels like a fantasy.
Our time in Marrakech was mostly spent exploring and shopping, after some brief tours of historical sites in the morning with our AUI guides. Almost every shop that we walked by housed a shopkeeper calling out to us advertising his low prices and quality items available for purchase. Some of them took it a step further, giving us little gifts from their shop or asking us all about where we are from. (I was shopping with my friends Cassie and Tony; Cassie has fair skin like I do and red hair, and one of the shopkeepers thought that we were two Irish girls :) ) There was even a carpet seller who made us tea and sat with us for almost an hour talking about school and our respective lives, and of course about carpets. But there was one shopkeeper who's marketing method surpassed them all....
Cassie and I were looking for scarves to buy as gifts for friends and family at home, when the owner--a man with a long curly beard wearing traditional Moroccan dress--came from the back of the store and took my arm, offering to show me some scarves in the back of the shop which are meant to be worn kind of like turbans. He said I didn't have to buy anything, just that he wanted to show me how the scarf was meant to be worn. I chose a color from the spectrum hanging on the wall, and he began to tie it around my head and neck... He said he thought the color of the scarf was pretty with my eyes. Then he offered 5000 camels to marry me. Well, that escalated quickly. I was terribly embarrassed and we laughed a lot as I tried to explain reasons why I couldn't marry a Moroccan scarf-seller who I had just met. Cassie then tried on a headscarf as well, and was also offered a marriage proposal... Needless to say we bought the scarves, but passed on the engagement :)
Although we are all having an incredible time, homesickness has begun to glaze over all of us. Part of me wishes that we could stay here forever, but I am also getting so excited to return home and see everyone! I really am enjoying my time here, and I've gotten so close with the group it will be so sad when we aren't just one big happy family anymore. But at the same time, I am ready to get back home and start up real life again. Partially because I really miss so many things. I miss church on Sundays, I miss singing, I miss peanut butter, I miss my bed and my clothes, I miss having a room to myself, I miss being able to communicate with the people around me in a language I speak fluently. I miss toilet paper in public bathrooms. I miss seeing the news and driving and eating cereal. I miss Starbucks in the morning on the way to school with Chandler, and I miss Bella's hugs and long conversations with my mom, and my dad waking me up every morning. I miss my friends and our crazy escapades. I miss the feeling of knowing that where I am is home.
In the meantime, I still plan to make the most of the time that I have left here! This weekend we will be doing some traveling up north which I am really looking forward to. I also have two projects and classes to finish up next week... Should be a busy time but I'll try to write more when I get a chance.
Til later,
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